In xerographic printing machines it is known to use a stripper assembly consisting of a sheet metal support and thin plastic stripping fingers to help strip paper from the photoreceptor belt at the stripper roll, as shown in FIG. 1. A minimum gap initially 0.35 milli-meters (“mm”) is required between the stripping fingers and the photoreceptor belt. Presently this gap is achieved by manually sliding the finger assembly against several pieces of 20-pound paper placed between the photoreceptor belt and the stripper assembly. When slight drag is felt by moving the paper, mounting screws are tightened to secure the finger assembly. The finger assembly tends to flex up and down and is deflected when tightening the screws. Due to the assembly's deflections, excessive clearances between components and lack of motion control, this set-up method is subjective and does not provide the consistent gap required. Also, the present design snaps on and off its mounts and must be removed for photoreceptor belt replacement. Should a jam occur between the fingers and the photoreceptor stripper roll, it will likely be unclearable for the customer.
Thus, there is a need for an improved stripper assembly.